Drug trafficking is big business in Colombia, of course, but it turns out that gold trafficking isn't too shabby, either. The Wall Street Journal reports on a remarkable underground war playing out within the nation's largest gold mine. The mine is owned by China's Zijin Mining Group, which estimates that it lost 3.2 tons of gold last year—worth about $200 million, or nearly 40% of the mine's production—to illegal miners. These miners are aided by the Gulf Clan, a cartel that runs both cocaine and migrants to the US border. The cartel and its militia of about 7,000 men seize tunnels in the sprawling mine in what amounts to military operations against Zijin's own security forces, then get a portion of the resulting proceeds for their trouble.
The cartel also supplies the miners with drugs and sex workers during their long and dangerous stints underground. The company blames the government of Colombia for failing to get things under control, while the government says Zijin knew the risks when it bought the mine in 2021. "The demands made by the company are not realistic," says Daniela Gomez, the vice minister of defense, who says Colombia doesn't have the manpower to devote to the problem. In fact, some officials suggest Zijin formally cede part of the mining operation so illegal miners might form legal cooperatives to work more safely. (Read the full story.)
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